Reggi Allder Author Blog, books, movies, recipes and more: Need a Chill for Halloween?

As a writer of suspense, I sometimes see the night as a place of mystery and danger. But the amazing glow of a full moon can light nefarious activities usually hidden by darkness. So, the harvest moon might help track the villain or aide the hero/ heroine in a search for a mysterious stalker. And though it is almost Halloween, the real scary moments come from true to life characters who appear normal but plan to execute a diabolical crime for simple reasons such as greed, revenge, or jealousy.

As a reader as well as a writer, I like the mix of danger and romance. Statistics show I’m not alone. Romantic suspense books are popular sellers. I’ve often wondered why we love a dash, or should I say a slash of suspense with our romance. I guess a psychologist could answer that. But for me, a well plotted romance and an equally well plotted suspense, woven together, works. Each story-line moves the plot forward and holds my attention. Perhaps the need to solve a mystery helps keep my pages turning. If you are looking for a book to give you a chill, try Shattered Rules.

Shattered Rules by Reggi Allder Five Stars- " “A gripping thriller!” Excellent book - I loved this!!! Exciting and intense!!! I couldn’t put it down!”

A spy, an obsessed killer, and a dangerous secret, would you shatter the rules to keep it safe? College student Kelly Shaw opened her door to a stranger and now she’s on the run. With a killer close behind her, can she trust the man she used to love? Will FBI agent Brick Larson help or does he have another agenda? Will she live long enough to find out?

Excerpt Shattered Rules:

Brick Larson had vowed it’d be a cold day in hell before he saw Carrie or Kelly Shaw again. Now, with Kelly sitting beside him, hurt and in danger, he didn’t know what he wanted. He cursed his boss, Don McCallum, for asking him to take this undercover assignment.

At a stop sign, he glanced at Kelly. She purred in her sleep. He’d forgotten how small she was, delicate, but not fragile. There was a time when she was just his fiancée’s playful kid sister. Back then, he’d barely noticed her. However, she’d grown. A dazzling female slept in the seat next to him. He noted the curve of her lips and the fullness of her breasts. Even hurt and exhausted, she oozed sex appeal. She wasn’t the awkward teen he remembered.

He focused on the road and brought his mind back to the problem at hand. It was important to get the facts of what happened last night before time dulled her memory.

Years working at the FBI had taught him that sometimes it paid to be patient. She’d experienced trauma and needed rest. He’d find somewhere for them to stay. After a nap, he’d ask her to tell him, in detail, everything that happened last night.

The El Camino Motel in Redwood City was one of the few “mom and pop” motels left in the San Francisco Bay Area. The single-story adobe building with a red tiled roof was a middle-class haven, clean and relatively inexpensive. It was unlikely anyone would look for them there. He drove into the lot and parked, then glanced at her again. Too damned sexy.

“Kelly, wait in the car while I register.”

On the way to the motel’s office, he passed the empty swimming pool. No one would see him go into the lobby.

When they entered the motel room, he took a deep breath. Fresh air, no musty smells like many of the rooms he’d stayed in during his other undercover assignments. Though the inn was built in a California adobe style, the rooms were themed. The bamboo furniture, upholstered in pink, green, and gray floral fabric, had to be someone’s misguided idea of Hawaiian decor. A framed picture of Mount Kilauea hung over the queen-size bed. He smiled at the choice of Hawaiian decorations in the Spanish-style motel.

“There’s only one bed,” Kelly complained.

“We’re lucky they had a room at this time of the year.” He pulled one of the pillows and the bedspread off the bed and threw them onto the maroon wall-to-wall carpeting. “I’ll bunk on the floor.”

“No. I can’t let you do that. I shouldn’t even be here. I should be driving to Lake Tahoe, but I can’t seem to keep my eyes focused. Still, I’m not going to take your bed.”

“I got it for you.”

“If I could only get rid of this headache.” She sat on the bed, lay back, and closed her eyes.

Did she have a concussion? She seemed alert. Not since his days as an army medic in South Korea had he checked for dilated pupils. Nonetheless, in twenty minutes, he’d examine her. He set his smartphone’s alarm. If her condition worsened, he’d take her to a hospital emergency room.

He breathed in her feminine scent, then shook off the need to touch her. He shouldn’t be in a motel room with his ex-fiancé’s sexy little sister. He’d have said no to this assignment if anyone but his boss, Don McCallum, had asked. Years earlier, when he was badly injured in an ambush, his boss had helped him and stuck by him when others suggested he should take disability and early retirement. He owed Don.